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General Fitness & HealthDiscuss general fitness. conditioning and health topics.

Never ceases to amaze me how many people believe that a workout is a magic weight loss bullet. There is this myth for many that if they only find the right workout, the weight will drip off.
After nearly 30 years of exercise, there is one thing I know - the more I exercise, the hungrier I get. Weight loss is about self-control, not workouts.

The diet is King.

The workout is the Queen.

The are forever the married couple.

There is no doubt one can lose "weight" just setting up a calorie deficit, and not perform any workout activity. This stands on the proven basic principles of "weight loss" (emphasis on weight loss). Once a person learns the basics on how to calculate their personal calories, and then create a calorie deficit, a certain level of self discipline/self control are REQUIRED. No amount of crying, or boo hooing, or depression, etc, will change this fact.

It is this very thing that derail many despite their personal diet/fitness knowledge and no matter how many times they fail and return, the basic principles will be there waiting for them as before, and this is one of the first lessons one experiences; however, the aforementioned context does an injustice:

To the power of manipulating the workout to the circumference of the diet to solicit an improved/increased response dependent on the personal goals and/or problems experienced such as: tissue loss plateau's, lowering/emptying glucose storage in conjunction with a calorie deficit, and losing the last few pounds of unwanted tissue, to the ones that are personally knowledgeable and self disciplined.

To the self disciplined, diet and workout manipulation are the kingdom, while diet is sitting as king, and workout as queen. We have to remember that the body adapts very well and having these two to manipulate is paramount to ones success.

The results one obtains will be in direct symmentry to being able to apply what has been learned

My point in the other post, is that with the experienced, and knowledgeable, we KNOW the workout (with the disciplined) can compliment/enhance the effects of the diet by having just a basic understanding of how calories and macros are utilized in various forms of exercises, and how/where and approximate how much macros are stored in the body (note: carbohydrates), and how these can be manipulated through workouts.

Quote:

Weight loss is about self-control, not workouts.

I understand the context I believe you are putting this in, boss, but standing on its own, I would only partially agree with you.

Pre-Paleo I lived by the kcal in/ kcal out theory.
Since going Paleo and having been able to walk around at < 10%BF while eating well in excess of my mainatainance kcals I now believe food choices are more important.
I also believe that there are specific foods that even in a kcal defecit will stall fat loss. Dairy products seem to be superior at this. Nature designed milk for massive tissue increase at an accelerated rate.

Although I firmly stand by "No one can out train a poor diet" I think that there are tricks in training that can create a greater metabolic effect towards fat loss, ie. Tabata Protocols, strength & power circuits, etc....

__________________"There's no such thing as shaping and toning. Only stronger and weaker." -Mark Rippetoe

Pre-Paleo I lived by the kcal in/ kcal out theory.
Since going Paleo and having been able to walk around at < 10%BF while eating well in excess of my mainatainance kcals I now believe food choices are more important.
I also believe that there are specific foods that even in a kcal defecit will stall fat loss. Dairy products seem to be superior at this. Nature designed milk for massive tissue increase at an accelerated rate.

Although I firmly stand by "No one can out train a poor diet" I think that there are tricks in training that can create a greater metabolic effect towards fat loss, ie. Tabata Protocols, strength & power circuits, etc....

Agreed, but most overestimate the importance of the other stuff to try and trick their body into losing fat without having to actually control their intake. Advanced trainers understand and can use synergy in their diet and training protocalls, but the average person needs to start at cals and work from there, using exercise to support a quality diet.

I don't know the full reasons behind why these extended routines work better, but frankly neither did the natural bodybuilders of the 40's and 50's yet they were done to good effect pre-contest. Just like the natural muscle building training methods are being dug up from the 40's and 50's the fat loss/pre-contest stuff deserves it's due too.